


Double Heists and Pale Moonlight

by Mariabella Baggins (AgentFrostbite)



Series: The Dragon Riders of Middle Earth [10]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Author has never written a theft scene in her life and it may or may not show, Author is taking many liberties, Author makes her own canon, Bofur and Nori are the BEST distractors, Female Bilbo Baggins, Female Ori, Gen, Hobbits train dragons, It's theft time!, None of this is Strictly Legal, Trust and Communication are a Thing, and it is good, lots of creative license
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:35:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25748260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentFrostbite/pseuds/Mariabella%20Baggins
Summary: The last week has been leading up to this one night, this one event, that will shape the history of Middle Earth for years to come. The Company (though not fully assembled) is tasked with stealing King Thror's precious gem, the one and only Arkenstone, in the hopes that it can be cleansed of its curse. A fumble or failure anywhere along the line were spell death for each and every one of them, and to top it all off, the identity and purposes of the mysterious saboteur are about to come to a head...
Series: The Dragon Riders of Middle Earth [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1341334
Kudos: 37
Collections: One Two Switcheroo





	Double Heists and Pale Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> I'M BA-ACK  
> Before I launch into my spiel, I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to everyone who read and reviewed and gave kudos on these stories. Your support has kept me going, even against the whims of my muse, and it has been such a joy to share this journey with you. I am truly humbled by your response to what started out as a single flash fic based on a "what-if" and John Powell's amazing music and has somehow become one of the largest and longest series I've ever written. Thank you.
> 
> Okay, moving on to the crazy! I'm currently in the slow process of editing this series with one of my other writer friends, to ensure that everything makes logical sense and flows smoothly, but given that I'm this far, and with the inspiration from your comments, I've decided to go ahead and post the climax and finale of this series BEFORE we finish editing.
> 
> (This is at least partially due to the fact that she and I are WAY DEEP into the Star Wars fandom and have been doing nothing but writing that for the last three weeks, and who knows; maybe I'll get to show you that series too, because it's definitely one of my favorites and my MOST developed series with regard to the world I have made and will someday jot down into properly published paperbacks.)
> 
> This is the time when your comments - supporting and constructive criticism - will be most needed and appreciated. Seriously, if there is ANYTHING that doesn't make sense, seems to come out of left field in a bad way, or could just flow a little better narrative-wise, please please please let me know!
> 
> Thanks for reading and happy writing!

"So, what's the plan?" Kili asked, leaning between his mother and uncle to look at the paper spread across the table. A sharp look from the former made him back off.

"Thorin and I will show Gerontius around the library as a distraction," Balin started, pointing to the marking that was, presumably, an entrance. "After they pass through and cause their noise distraction, Nori and a friend of his will stand by the entrance and be a disturbance. Dori and Prince Frerin will stay here with Lady Uma and watch over Thrain. They'll deflect any questions Thror may have about where everyone else is, should he arrive. While all of this is going on, Miss Bella and Ori will sneak along the rafters of the library and find the scroll. Unless we receive a note carried by Lucky that says this room is no longer safe, we'll meet back here when it's over. If Thror is here, we'll meet at Bella's room instead."

"Once Thorin and Balin finish showing me the library, we'll head toward the throne room. I have a few tricks up my sleeves to keep the guards focused on me and not the throne, where Thorin and Balin will snatch the Arkenstone and bring it back here," Gerontius added. "If we encounter any problems with distraction, I've got a little backup waiting for my cue." He smiled mysteriously and leaned back in his chair, puffing happily on his pipe.

"After that," Bella continued, "Thorin, Grandda, and I will head to Farasail with the gem and the scroll, fix the Arkenstone, and bring it back."

"Then we wait," Thorin finished, looking over the plan.

* * *

Getting into the library through the very top of the room actually wasn't as difficult as Bella thought it would be. They landed on a beam directly across from the entrance. Ori, sitting behind Bella, hung on as tightly as she could, eyes pinched shut. Bella looked to her grandfather and nodded. He, Thorin, and Balin started walking up the hallway, and on cue, Gerontius knocked into a large brass candle. It went to the floor and hit with a clatter. As it did so, Twilight launched off, soaring overhead and into the room. They landed atop one of the bookshelves and waited for the telltale voices.

"…sorry, I'm such a clumsy Hobbit sometimes. Say, isn't this the library?"

"It is indeed," Balin replied. "I understand you're quite a scholar."

"Well, I do love my books. Could you arrange for a quick peek inside?"

They continued talking, and Ori pointed to a different bookshelf, on the second floor. "It's in there. You'll have to set me down to grab it," she whispered. Bella nodded, and Twilight crept along the bookshelves. They stayed as close to the voices as possible, using their auditory distraction to cover their movement. They paused as the group crossed beneath them, and moved again when they heard more voices outside the room.

"Now, it's a fine night for a bit of reading, if you're into that sort of thing. Myself, I like a good bit of music." Bella thought she recognized Bofur's voice, jovially chatting outside the doors.

"I'm sorry, but we cannot permit you to enter at this time," one of the guards informed.

"Say, now, I thought books were public knowledge and all that. Why's it closed, then?" Nori asked.

"By order of the King, no-one except the royal family is allowed in here at this time."

"That doesn't seem quite fair," Bofur continued. "What if I needed to research a metal, or figure out how to craft a toy or such?" Bella tuned him out as she directed Twilight along the tops of the cases. The Night Fury's midnight black scales were the perfect camouflage in the dim library. Bella gripped the saddle handles, and Ori buried her face in Bella's back, as Twilight leapt from the top of her shelf to the railing of the second floor. Bella turned.

"Your turn, Ori." Ori nodded and hopped off with slightly shaky legs. She then padded over to the bookcase she needed, quiet as a mouse, and she rifled through a handful of books and scrolls on the second to bottom shelf. She grabbed a few, then walked back to Bella.

"These are all the Faish ones," she whispered as she tucked them into the saddlebags. "I hope yours is among them."

"So do I," Bella answered. They looked down over the people milling about below. There were a few scribes and a couple guards, but Thorin, Gerontius, and Balin had moved on. Nori and Bofur were still by the door, arguing – if the confusing conversation could really be called that – so Ori remounted, Bella patted Twilight reassuringly, and they leapt down onto one of the bookcases. They walked, bookcase to bookcase, a black shimmer in the dark, but had to stop by the door.

One of the scribes was searching for something on a top shelf, two cases ahead of them. They could hear his muttering, and Bella rested a hand on Twilight's head, silently praying that they wouldn't be seen.

They waited there until Nori and Bofur were forced to leave, and once they were gone, Ori grabbed Bella's dress. The terror in the girl's shaking fingers mirrored Bella's own worry. They had no distraction to cover their noise or their escape, and they were holding documents they shouldn't have. If they were caught, it would almost certainly mean death.

The scribe finally climbed down, and they approached the exit. "There's no way," Bella whispered, just barely audible to the girl behind her. "They'll see us for sure."

"Let me down," Ori whispered, slightly louder than advisable. "I'll distract the guards."

"How?"

"I'll tell them I saw someone on the second level." Bella turned to fix an incredulous look on her. "Do you have any better ideas?"

"Just about anything else would be a better idea," she muttered, but she obediently landed Twilight. The Fury was on edge, head twisting back and forth at every footstep. Ori strode out into the main walkway, then hunched her shoulders and skittered toward the guards. Bella and Twilight, having lost the advantage of height and unsure how to regain it without knocking books over with windy wing flaps or knocking them down as they climbed the shelf, opted to stay on the ground. It was a bit nosier, and a lot less safe, but Bella deemed it their best course of action.

It was slightly less good when they turned a corner and almost ran into another scribe.

"…don't mean to be a bother, but…" They could hear Ori's voice, and the man they were hiding from – and older Dwarf with gray hair and intricate braids that wrapped around his head – approached it. Bella and Twilight followed as noiselessly as possible. "…in through the window, which is-"

"Ori," the man greeted. She gasped and turned to see him. The panic in her posture melted away, but her eyes still screamed nervousness. "Don't worry, gentlemen, this is one of my best scribes. What seems to be the problem, Ori? Are the Halflings bothering you?"

"Goodness, no," she replied. "No, I was just reporting that I thought I saw someone slipping in through the window on the second floor. I might be wrong, and it gave me such a fright that I turned and ran. It was like they slithered in, some kind of hideous, horrible, boneless thing…"

"Don't you worry, lass," the man soothed. "Gentleman, perhaps we should all go take a look?"

"Are you sure?" Ori squeaked out. "I wouldn't want to be a bother."

"It's our job to secure the library," one of the guards said. "Show us where it came in."

As they walked away, Bella and Twilight slipped out into the main walkway, then out into the hall. With a great leap – and much regret at leaving poor Ori – they took off, heading back toward the royal quarters.

* * *

Gerontius was not nervous in the slightest. He'd not pulled off a heist ever in his life, the punishment for being caught was certainly death, and the odds were very much stacked against them, but he wasn't worried at all. He still had a few tricks up his sleeves that, if worse came to worst, he could use to help them escape. No, he was not worried about the heist itself.

The fate of Erebor afterwards, the state it would be in, now that concerned him.

That was clearly what was so heavy on Thorin's shoulders as they strode toward the throne room and the bright Fae gem. The young prince already had to fight so hard all the time, just to keep his family together. The wizened Hobbit had no words of condolence, no reassurances to offer the noble Dwarf, and even if he did, it was not the time to offer them. They had a singular mission, and they needed to focus on that singular mission for it to be a success.

"I should've guessed you were going to do something like this." Thorin stopped and turned so fast that Gerontius expected the man to have whiplash. Across form them, leaning against a column, was a bald, heavily tattooed, and well-armed Dwarf.

"When I asked you to help, I expected distraction of the guards, not checking to see if I was on alert," Thorin snapped. The other Dwarf walked up to them.

"At least you know now that you weren't," the man replied. He looked Gerontius up and down, but said nothing. "I've moved as many away from the throne room as I could. The rest will be up to whatever tricks you three have planned."

Thorin pressed his forehead against the other Dwarf's, a tender moment of thanks that conveyed more than words would. "Erebor owes you, Dwalin," Thorin replied.

"They only owe me if you get this right the first time," he retorted. He then looked to Balin. "Be careful, brother. Make sure he doesn't do anything overly stupid."

"I only have to watch him, rather than both of you, nadadith," Balin replied jovially. They nodded, and Dwalin resumed his position at the pillar. The trio continued on to the throne room. Neither of the guards gave a second thought to Thorin, Balin, and Gerontius walking in. There were no guards posted inside, so they jogged up to the throne. "We'll have to move swiftly. Thror will find out about the guards being gone within an hour."

"Night Furies are known for their speed," Gerontius assured as Thorin removed the stone from the throne, "and Twilight is one of the fastest I've seen."

Balin and Gerontius made it down the throne steps and several feet away by the time they noticed Thorin had not followed them. The prince was staring at the stone, transfixed by its beauty. They shared a look, and Balin approached. "Perhaps I should hold that for now, laddie," Balin said. Thorin looked up, and for a couple seconds, both elder men could see the taint of gold-sickness in Thorin's eyes. The horrible, burning desire for more, the violent greed that overtook the mind and warped it till the person it used to belong to had vanished completely, the rage bubbling just beneath the surface, waiting to break loose at the prospect of having to give up anything of value or worth.

The moment passed, and Thorin returned to himself. Shaken, he handed the gem over to Balin, who tucked it into one of his inner pockets. They strode back toward the door, but Gerontius paused just on the other side. He held them in place for a moment, then spoke quietly, as though walking from a great distance. The old Hobbit had plenty of practice with raising his voice increments, perfectly mimicking how it sounded to speak as he approached. They got to the door, and he'd somehow transitioned from praising the throne to remarking about different shades of green on trees.

"-pine green, which is one of the hardest colors to capture in drawings. I don't know how the wax-makers do it, but- Oh, good evening, gentlemen," he greeted the guards. "Absolutely splendid room you've got there. Where was I?"

"Wax makers," Balin replied. "We don't have any that make pencils, but we do have many weavers who come up with good dyes."

"Yes, the tapestries!" Gerontius exclaimed. "I'd been meaning to compliment you on them. Absolutely splendid, those are…" And so on, they chatted until they were well out of hearing range of the door guards. Upon passing the hallway entirely, they broke into a quick job and made good time back to the royal quarters. Bella was there when they arrived, but Ori was not. "Where's Ori?"

"She had to run a distraction for me," Bella replied. "I already sent Dori out to check on her, with Lady Uma's blessing. I think I've found the right paper. Grandda, can you come look at it as well?"

He leaned over the table, scanning through the sheet until he hit the passage. "Yes, you've got it, lass. It says here… Ah. 'Place the Arkenstone and the Froststar side by side, on the garden pedestal, in the light of a full moon. The light from the Froststar will heal the poison in the Arkenstone, and the moonlight shall cleanse them both. The Arkenstone should then be returned to the Mountain, left against the stone, for a fortnight before being touched again."

"Would the throne count?" Frerin asked. "We don't exactly have two weeks to waste on waiting."

"We'll try it," Thorin replied.

"How are we going to know?" Kili asked.

"We'll be the barometers," Dis answered. She placed a hand on her son's shoulder. "If we still feel the pull to madness, we'll have to hide it in the walls somewhere. Hopefully, this will be enough to heal Thror's mind."

"And if it's not?" Fili countered. No-one answered that because no-one knew how.

"Thorin, Frerin, are you ready?" Bella asked as she rolled up the sheet. Lucky chittered as he crawled over Twilight's tail and up next to Thorin. Thorin didn't let the dragon crawl onto him, but he didn't discourage the little Rattling Smokebreath from curling up around his feet. Gerontius counted this as a wonderful improvement. "Balin, the Arkenstone?"

He handed it over carefully, and even Bella was transfixed by its brilliance. Though it seemed to unsettle her, she stared at its sparkling luminance for a moment too long. Gerontius placed a hand on her shoulder, and Thorn murmured. Bella blinked and shook her head. She stuffed it in one of the saddlebags and mounted up. Thorin mounted behind her, and Frerin behind him. Twilight shook a bit, then geared up to take off. "May the Valar be with you all," Gerontius said.

Bella nodded, then they took off into the hallway, lifting into the air, with little Lucky hot on their heels. No sooner had they vanished, Dori and Ori reappeared. The girl looked rather panicked. "We just passed King Thror coming this way!" Dori exclaimed.

Uma stood from where she'd been sitting by Thrain's bedside and began helping them pick up the scrolls. "There's a passage in the bathroom, behind the large wardrobe. It will take you out to the hallway beyond the guest chambers. Take everything and go. Hurry!"

* * *

The night was beautiful. It was refreshingly crisp, not too cold or too warm; it was perfectly clear, without a cloud to cover the stars or the bright full moon that shined down upon them; and it was filled with good tailwinds that propelled them toward Farasail and got them there in 3/4ths of the normal time.

"What's that up ahead?" Frerin asked, pointing to the glowing Luminars.

"They were in the Shire as well," Thorin replied.

"Actually, they're just outside the Shire," Bella corrected. "They're Luminars. Much like Lothlorien's trees, with regards to height and what they end up being used for." She smiled fondly. "The Fae, like the Eldar, love light deeply, and like the Wood Elves, they adore the light of the stars. But the stars are so far away, and they're not grounded here on Middle-Earth – which is why they're so radiant, in my opinion – so Yavanna and Varda made the Luminars. Tall trees, like those of Lothlorien, but with the light of the stars captured in their trunks. There's something about the glow that changes dragons."

"Changes them how?" Frerin asked warily.

"You'll see," Thorin replied mysteriously.

Lucky – who'd been keeping pace with them, trilled happily and shot forward, aiming for the trees. Once beneath, his markings shone brightly. Frerin gasped lightly at him, and much more loudly at Twilight's patterns. Thorin traced them along her side, and the Night Fury purred happily. He and Bella locked gazes again, and it was almost like that first flight back in the Shire.

She wondered if he wished it was still that simple, too.

The flight ended with them landing in the garden, bypassing the front door entirely. The red eyes that had peered out at her from the bushes during her talk with Hayla only three days ago did not appear to taunt her this time. The pedestal of which the scroll spoke was off to the side, cocooned in its own little section of the garden. The many intricate carvings on its surface, both Faish and Dwarvish, shimmered in the pale moonlight. "Right, then," Bella replied. "You two stay here with Twilight and everything. I'm going to go get the Froststar from the throne room."

As she turned to leave, Thorin gently grabbed her arm. "Be careful."

"It's my palace," she replied, and though her mouth was smiling, her eyes were not. "I'd think that if I was to be safe on my own anywhere, it'd be here."

"Even so, the most beloved rulers have enemies, and from what your grandfather told us, you are not the most beloved," he cautioned. She placed a hand on his and gently, tenderly, removed his fingers.

"I'll overlook the insult because you're saying it out of concern," she said fondly, and their fingers lingered together, fingertips locked on fingertips, for longer than was necessary or, in their time-pressed situation, advisable. She then turned and ran off down the hallways.

She met not a soul on her dash to the throne room, and her barefooted footsteps echoes off the walls. Once or twice, she thought she heard whispering behind her, but each time she looked, she saw nothing in either direction. The continuing lack of people, while helpful at first, started to unnerve her. She entered the throne room with her hand on her sword, and relaxed when she saw Hayla pacing back and forth. The Captain of the Guard stopped when she saw Bella. "I was starting to worry that I was the only one in the palace."

"Thankfully, milady, you are not," Hayla answered. "The gem has been guarded carefully. I will accompany you to the lip of the garden." She held up a hand when Bella opened her mouth. "Just in case. Phira has not been seen since your grandfather was here-"

"When was my grandfather here?" Bella cut her off. Hayla frowned, but answered.

"Just after the attack on Prince Fili. He came to me and asked who might be able to pull off such a feat, and I cited Phira as having an unusual interest in the Mountain. She and a small gathering of guards, soldiers, and others besides have since vanished, and we fear they may be planning to attack as you're fixing the Arkenstone, swoop in, and take both gems."

Bella paled and almost lost her grip on her sword. A coup? In her own palace? Right under her nose the whole time, scheming while smiling, lying while laughing, holding onto the grudge even as she swore fealty to the throne. But even so, it didn't truly surprise Bella that much. Phira never did like her, and she toed the line of disrespect on more than one occasion after Bella's coronation.

"Very well, then," Bella agreed. The pair quickly walked to the throne and collected the Froststar. It seemed to sing in Bella's hands, as it always did, and its radiant snow white and blue halo of light illuminated the hallway as they ran back. True to her word, Hayla waited outside the garden entrance and Bella entered, cradling the stone in her hands like the precious treasure it was.

The whole of Erebor's future hinged on this rock, on this moment.

Thorin had been pacing back and forth, and Frerin had placed the stone on the pedestal and was standing in front of it. Both men looked up when she entered, and their gazes immediately fell on the Froststar. Frerin looked at it with wonder and disbelief, while Thorin seemed pained to gaze upon it. He adamantly refused to turn around. Bella glided past him and placed the two stones together in the center of the pedestal, touching one to another, then stepped back.

"The moon's not on it," Frerin pointed out. "The hedge is in the way."

Thorin drew his sword and started toward the hedge wall, but Bella placed a hand on his shoulder. He stopped, as if on instinct, and she walked forward. She placed her hands in the center of the hedge, and though she didn't have a circlet, she hoped that it would be enough to just think for it to _move_. She counted the fact that it obeyed as a sign more of her status in the palace, of a connection to the land beneath her feet that she was still awed by at times, rather than any skill of her own.

As soon as the moonlight struck the gems, they glowed a brilliant white. On one side, the Froststar reflected the pale light of the moon, brilliant and beautiful, but with only a silvery color. The Arkenstone, meanwhile, was a rainbow of sparks that colored its white halo. Even still, there was something dark at the center, a black glow that seeped into the pedestal. It tainted the marble beneath it, and as the dark patch of once white stone drew blacker and blacker, the gems shined brighter and brighter, until none of the three could bear to look at it.

The gradual growing of light suddenly stopped, cutting back to a dim shine within a blink of an eye. The stones were glowing more brightly than usual – due to their proximity to each other and the Froststar's presence in moonlight – the blinding light was gone. "Is that it?" Frerin asked? Bella slowly approached and picked up the Arkenstone. She weighed it in her hand, turning it this way and that, and then finally sighed.

"That's that," she confirmed.

"Finally, some good news," Frerin murmured.

"I'm afraid I must cut the victory short," Hayla suddenly spoke up. Both Dwarves had their weapons pulled by the time they turned around to see the speaker, Hayla took little notice of either of them. "Phira has appeared with her group, all armed to the teeth, and she's demanding to speak with you, Bella."


End file.
